Clown Game, Business Improvement Association

Vancouver's Downtown Eastside has a lot of stories. The newly formed BIA needed something more than street signs to pay homage to the DTES' history and complexity.

Ninja Training borrowed from the area's stories as the oldest part of Vancouver to generate a plot that went deep into the culture of the neighbourhood, its characters, and its secrets. The Clown Game introduced the public to Giorgio, the notorious outcast clown, as well as the Ancient and Accepted Order of Gardeners, who sheltered him. The drama played through historical sites such as the old City Hall and the building where Harry Houdini did one of his greatest tricks. The immersive storytelling took players through the streets of the DTES and into businesses (new and old) whose proprietors gave players mission-critical information and direction. Players and co-conspirators alike felt a renewed sense of play and possibility in the inspiring DTES neighbourhood.